Transportation Rescue Extrication Program for Firefighters Introduced in Sask.
In Saskatchewan, a program has been introduced to provide volunteer firefighters with the necessary skills to rescue drivers from crashed vehicles.
The Transportation Rescue Extrication (TREX) program (the first of its kind) has received $5.6 million in funding from SGI and the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency, making it the first of its kind in Canada. The program aims to equip volunteer firefighters with the jaws of life tools, which they often need to respond to accidents as first responders.
Kindersley Fire Chief, Jeff Soveran said they cover a 4,000 kilometre square area for accidents and 3,600 square kilometres for fire.
“This kind of training is as important as the evolution of tools—they are electric tools not hydraulic anymore, no pump and hoses to run, you just grab and go. Everything changes all the time, techniques change all the time and the biggest problem we have is the cars change all the time.”
Over the weekend,Fire Chief Jeff Soveran, Deputy Chief Cody Welker, Captain Adam Wake, Lieutenant Adrean Palm, and Captain Tyler Bairos took part in this training.
Currently, only 30% of stations have these tools, and there are more than 432 volunteer firefighter departments in the province, with around 7,000 volunteers.
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